I'm Back

I've actually been back for a week, and I meant to post right away. Honest, I did. But there was the unpacking, and the decluttering after the unpacking, and then there was the headache that started Wednesday morning and didn't let up until Friday afternoon. I get one of those suckers every three months or so, when my back and shoulders get out of whack and all the muscles clench up and it's like a vise tightening around my forehead. Sometimes they last a day, sometimes longer. And they're certainly not conducive to writing or any other creative production.

It's frustrating when you have a load of plans and then get knocked on your rear end. I came back from the beach full of ideas about life and how to live it. Bake more bread! Make my own pasta! Organize the house! Paint the walls!

And I did actually bake some bread, the sort that takes about twenty-four hours from sponge to finished loaves, and I'm very proud to report I made my first batch of homemade fettuccine and it was marvelous! I've had Amy's sister's pasta machine for about two years now and have lived in fear of it the whole time. Turns out, there's nothing to it, even for an old left-hander like me. I'd wondered if the end product would be worth the time and effort, given that you can get good dried pasta at the grocery store pretty cheaply. I'm here to say there really is a difference, and that homemade pasta is worth it. I don't know that I'll make pasta for every pasta dish I serve--it is a time-consuming process--but I'll definitely make it when I can.

So I did accomplish something last week, but then the headache hit, and all I could manage was basic house maintenance. Then, as my headache faded, we got hit by a huge storm and lost power for twenty-four hours. It wasn't so bad--the weather wasn't too hot, so the downstairs stayed moderately cool. But by the time the power came back on, I was too behind on the basics--laundry, grocery shopping, etc.--to get my Big Project Groove back on.

Anyway, I had lots of important insights from the beach to post, and maybe I'll get around to posting them this week. Here's the one I'll leave you with: At the pool, people seem happy or at least content (except for the mean moms and the terrified toddlers who won't get near the water). At the beach, people seem filled with joy. There is a kind of beach ecstasy. I think it's all that beauty and majesty right in front of you. Everything smells good, the water and sun feel good, and the ocean is so much bigger than us that all you can do is surrender to it, and then you are free.

More soon.